This disclosure relates to fluid analysis in or near a hydrocarbon wellbore.
Optical sensors implemented with a variety of Integrated Computational Elements (ICEs) have found increased applications in identifying physical and chemical properties of diverse subsurface and surface fluids. ICEs typically have multiple high and low refractive index film layers deposited on a substrate material, which function as multi-band filters in multivariate optical computing systems for linear and nonlinear calibration analyses.
Typical ICE designs often have a large number of film layers (i.e., more than five) in order to achieve performance adjustability. However, optimizing the layered structure with many films of different thicknesses often requires high computational power and intensity in the simulation analysis and fabricability study stages. Manufacturing ICEs with many film layers may also have a negative impact on quality control and cost reduction.
It is desirable to minimize the number of film layers in an ICE in order to reduce the cost associated with its design and fabrication without sacrificing quality performance. Additionally, it is desirable to use two or more ICEs in combination to overcome limitations inherent in using a single ICE. Quality control may be performed to prevent ICE performance degradation during fabrication, and post-manufacturing calibration may be applied to enhance the implementation of the system.
The disclosure may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the spirit or essential characteristics thereof. The present embodiments are therefore to be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive, the scope of the disclosure being indicated by the appended claims rather than by the foregoing description, and all changes which come within the meaning and range of equivalency of the claims are therefore intended to be embraced therein.